Sunday, 27 July 2008

Who We Are

The Anarcho-Syndicalist Federation, Anarchist Federation, Anarchist Prisoner Support and a number of individuals merged in 2004 to form Organise! to create a more effective and better resourced class struggle anarchist organisation in Ireland.

The ASF and AF in Ireland had already collaborated on two previous publications, called Wildcat, which presented agreed positions on the trades unions and the ‘north’. The impetus for the creation of this organisation goes back to a proposal made earlier this year asking Anarchists to look seriously at building more effective organisation across Ireland.

The response to this proposal was mixed but discussion on moving things forward took place between those who were most interested in pursuing it and who felt they had most in common.

Our attitude to those class struggle anarchists outside our organisation is comradely and co-operative, while we may have differences we seek to work to overcome these where possible and to build stronger links and more effect methods of working together as part of the process of building a broad libertarian movement in Ireland. We will not on the other hand shy away from debate and discussion of differences but attempt to deal with these in an open and comradely fashion.

Most importantly, we seek through our activity and propaganda, through discussion and practical solidarity with our fellow workers to show the relevance of anarchist methods of organising and ultimately the benefits of a future libertarian communist revolution for workers everywhere.

Many members of Organise! are, and have been, active in their own workplaces. When we talk about workers, we don't just mean those in paid employment, we also support and get involved with the struggles of students, the unemployed and domestic workers.

For example, in the past we have done work around benefit issues. We have also been involved in the Fascists Out Campaign, which drove fascists of the streets in Portrush and more recently closed down the Ulster Nationalist Alliance/WNP postal address in Belfast. We were prominent in building support for Joanne Delaney in Belfast in 2006, organising pickets of Dunnes stores in Belfast and Derry.

We have supported many groups of workers in disputes from involvement in support for Irish Ferries workers to support for striking postal workers in Belfast and Newtownabbey. Members of Organise! are involved in the Just Books Collective and we are also involved in the Belfast Rossport Solidarity group. The priority for us right now is opposition to the introduction of water charges across the north and we are involved in building opposition on a street by street basis in working class communities with a clear message that only mass non-payment will defeat the government. As such we are involved in the We Won't Pay Campaign which has recently saw many of the groups also opposed to water reform running to catch up with us in the call for mass non-payment. We have also been involved in anti-war protests.

We develop and maintain contact with similar organisations around the world as we recognise that the struggle against capitalism must be an international one.

"The emancipation of working class shall be the task of workers ourselves."